Question about shifting

[Majestic]

This is a question for the 2003 RS6 USA version, not sure if Euro has this but if you do feel free to answer.

You know when you shift to N, R, D, there is an S at the end. Is that a sport mode?

Not sure what it does, I have shifted to it and not really sure if its doing anything.

If you know the details of this please let me know, its not a big thing but I am still learning about the car :)

Yay for :addict:

[The RS6]

In short, S won't help you accelerate faster, but as you slow down it will shift down alot much sooner so you'd have more power available at all times (due to higher revs)...

[RS6-4dr911]

Also upshifts at higher rev's, will kickdown with less travel on the gas pedal (ie. when cruising and then accelerating) and will hold the gear a little longer when cornering.

[Yellow RS6]

+1 to what's been said. You should notice it shifting at higher rpms, holding each gear longer, and you should definitely notice the downshifts, they are pretty harsh/abrupt in S mode.

Since we're talking about shifting, I have a question. Does S or manually shifting give our cars the best acceleration? (Hopefully someone that has taken theirs to the strip and has hard evidence can chime in) :)

[RS6-4dr911]

I believe a search will show the vast majority of people that have checked found S mode to be the fastest.

[snoopra]

S mode shifts at redline, also timing is advanced.

[SAFE4NOW]

I may argue that leaving it in " S " mode would give you the best accel from a stop.

Now, I am only stating this because of the 20+ runs I did this year at the Texas Mile, the top speed(s) were reached only when the car was in " S" mode.

I know this had to do with it holding each gear longer, off the line is off the line, but the longer you are engaged, the faster you accel, yes?

Anyways.. I enjoy(ed) mine no matter what setting I found myself in... LOL

Steve

[Majestic]

sounds good I will try playing with it in S mode for a while, D has been fun though :)

[RS6-4dr911]

Not necessarily true the longer you hold in a gear the faster you go. If tip allows you to hold the RPM's higher than S, that would imply, just imply, the engineers figured out the fastest shift point is at a lower than redline RPM. This would put the car back in the heart of the torque curve, which if memory serves, begins to fall off at around 5800 rpm, so holding the shift to 6400 means you're producing less torque, which is not optimal. Since the average shift drops rpm's something like 2000rpm, the torque curve is plenty flat and wide enough to handle shifting at a lower than redline rpm (short shifting in dirt biker terms). If the torque curve were peaky, like an M5, then you'd have to figure just how far past the torque peak to go so that an upshift put you at about the same level of torque, but on the uphill side of the peak.

[SAFE4NOW]

Not necessarily true the longer you hold in a gear the faster you go. If tip allows you to hold the RPM's higher than S, that would imply, just imply, the engineers figured out the fastest shift point is at a lower than redline RPM. This would put the car back in the heart of the torque curve, which if memory serves, begins to fall off at around 5800 rpm, so holding the shift to 6400 means you're producing less torque, which is not optimal. Since the average shift drops rpm's something like 2000rpm, the torque curve is plenty flat and wide enough to handle shifting at a lower than redline rpm (short shifting in dirt biker terms). If the torque curve were peaky, like an M5, then you'd have to figure just how far past the torque peak to go so that an upshift put you at about the same level of torque, but on the uphill side of the peak.

I will dig up my time slips from the Mile this weekend and post real world examples.
Now my car has the REVO software and straight pipes, I do not know if that would play into this as well...

more to follow...

S

[RS6-4dr911]

You're not seriously going to ruin a perfectly good theoretical argument with facts, are you?:doh: